9.ABC placed "viewer discretion” warnings before each half of the two-part episode, a practice the network continued for the rest of the show’s run.

10.“The Puppy Episode” had 42 million viewers and won a Peabody Award.

11.Degeneres would later note that when she kissed a castmember jokingly in a scene, a disclaimer was needed. When another show did the exact same scene (but with all straight actors), no disclaimer was shown.

15.During the episode with Ellen's "lesbian supermarket" dream sequence, several celebrities made cameo appearances: Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jenny Shimizu, to name a few.

16.K.D. Lang was working the express checkout line.

17.At the end of that episode there's a sequence in which Susan leads Ellen over to Melissa Etheridge, who confirms that Ellen is gay and — after completing the necessary paperwork — awards Susan a toaster oven.

ABC

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Long after the show ended, getting a toaster oven became a well-known joke for when someone comes out of the closet.

18.Laura Dern couldn't find work for over a year following her role on Ellen.

"I also received extraordinary letters — some not-so-nice letters also — but some really extraordinary letters from families who felt that you had given them an extraordinary gift and I got to be part of that," said Dern to Ellen during an appearance onThe Ellen Show.

19.Emma Thompson played a gay version of herself in the final season.

20.ABC canceled Ellen in 1998 after ratings declined. "I tried to incorporate educational things about what people actually go through when they're coming out, and it wasn't funny," DeGeneres said. "Because it's not funny."